Registration obligation and registration statement deadline

According to Section 64 of the Finnish Vehicles Act, a motor vehicle to be used in traffic must be registered, and notification of any changes pertaining to the vehicle submitted to the register.

The registration notification must be submitted at a registration office as soon as possible but no later than seven days after the change. The date of the change is not counted in the deadline (for example, if the change is made on a Wednesday, the statement can still be submitted on the Wednesday of the following week). If the last day of the period falls on a Saturday or holiday, the statement can be submitted on the following weekday. A registration statement must also be submitted within the deadline for any changes to the owner and/or holder of a vehicle decommissioned from traffic. Notifications on decommissioning or commissioning must always be submitted before the end of the day.

If a vehicle’s previous registration statement is being processed by Trafi when the change is made, a new registration statement must be submitted within 14 days of the date of printing marked on the new registration certificate.

The registration obligation refers to the owner and holder of a motor vehicle, trailer or a vehicle to be attached to a trailer. Failure to make a registration statement will be prosecuted as a traffic violation. As a result, the police can confiscate the vehicle licence plates and fine the offender.

Exemptions from the registration obligation

The registration obligation does not apply to:

vehicles that are used solely at a construction site, factory, port, storage area, competition area or any similar area separate from public traffic (including all-terrain traffic and pedestrians)

all-terrain vehicles except for snowmobiles

working machinery that is built or equipped for producing crops, harvesting or road maintenance, or any tractors meant to be controlled by a walking person, or any similar working machinery

trailers meant to be towed by a category L vehicle, tractor, a working machine or an ATV

any towable equipment meant to be towed by vehicles other than cars

sleighs.

Even if the registration of a vehicle is not mandatory, in some cases compulsory motor liability insurance may need to be taken out for the vehicle. For further information on insurance obligation, please contact your own insurance company or the Finnish Motor Insurers’ Centre.

About the registration obligation for buggies

The Vehicle Act does not recognise a vehicle called a “buggy”. If the vehicle popularly known as a “buggy” is EU-type approved to belong to any of the following vehicle classes, then it also falls under the registration obligations of that class when used in public traffic:

three-wheel moped (category L2e)

tricycle (L5e),

light quadricycle (L6e) or

quadricycle (L7e)

Other kinds of buggies are off-road vehicles, and thus cannot be registered for public road traffic.